AP Review - Key Concepts from Chapters 26 and 27

A collection of flashcards covering important terms and concepts from AP U.S. History Chapters 26 and 27.

Fidel Castro

Cuban revolutionary leader who established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere.

Bay of Pigs

A failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the CIA in 1961.

Berlin Wall

A wall that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, symbolizing the Cold War.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union in October 1962 over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Engle v. Vitale

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1962 that ruled it unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools.

Baker v. Carr

A Supreme Court case that decided that redistricting issues present justiciable questions, thus enabling federal courts to hear cases on state legislative apportionment.

Lyndon Johnson

The 36th President of the United States who succeeded John F. Kennedy and is known for his Great Society programs.

Gideon v. Wainwright

A 1963 Supreme Court ruling that the Sixth Amendment requires states to provide an attorney for defendants who cannot afford one.

Miranda v. Arizona

A 1966 Supreme Court case that established the Miranda rights, requiring law enforcement to inform suspects of their rights.

Vietnam War: Causes

A conflict fueled by the spread of communism, U.S. involvement, and the Cold War tensions.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A 1964 congressional resolution that granted President Johnson the authority to use military force in Vietnam.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A significant law aimed at eliminating barriers to voting for African Americans.

Malcolm X

An African American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.

Black Panthers

A revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1966 that advocated for the rights of African Americans.

Cesar Chavez

An American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association.

"Star Wars" Missile Defense System

A proposed missile defense system intended to protect the U.S. from nuclear missiles using space-based weapons.

Iran-Contra Affair

A political scandal in the 1980s involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

George H. W. Bush

The 41st President of the United States, who served from 1989 to 1993.

Persian Gulf War

A conflict in 1990-1991 when a coalition led by the U.S. expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

End of the Cold War

The period marking the decline of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, culminating in 1991.

Bill Clinton

The 42nd President of the United States known for his economic policies and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, a trilateral trade bloc between Canada, Mexico, and the USA.

George W. Bush

The 43rd President of the United States who served from 2001 to 2009.

September 11, 2001

A series of coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States.

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

U.S. military operations resulting from the War on Terror following the September 11 attacks.

Barack Obama

The 44th President of the United States and the first African American to hold the office.

Fugitive Slave Act

A law that required the return of runaway slaves, leading to controversy and resistance in the North.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress could not regulate slavery in the territories.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order by President Lincoln in 1863 freeing slaves in the Confederate states.

Counterculture Movement

A social revolution in the 1960s in America characterized by the rejection of traditional norms and values.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

Rise of the New Right

A political movement in the late 20th century characterized by conservative policies and politics.

14th Amendment

The amendment granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including former slaves.

15th Amendment

The amendment that prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election and ended Reconstruction.

Tet Offensive

A major escalation and turning point in the Vietnam War, where North Vietnamese forces launched surprise attacks in January 1968.

American Indian Movement

A civil rights organization founded in 1968 to address issues related to Native American rights.

Apollo 11 Moon Landing

The first successful manned mission to land on the Moon, occurring in July 1969.

Richard Nixon

The 37th President of the United States, known for the Watergate scandal and his resignation.

Pentagon Papers leak

A classified report leaked in 1971 that revealed government deception in the Vietnam War.

Détente

A period of relaxed tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Kent State

The site of a tragic shooting in 1970 during a protest against the Vietnam War that left four students dead.

Clean Air Acts

Legislation aimed at controlling air pollution in the United States.

26th Amendment

The amendment that granted the right to vote to citizens who are 18 years of age or older.

Henry Kissinger

U.S. Secretary of State known for his role in U.S. foreign policy during the Nixon administration.

SALT I and II

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties aimed at curbing the arms race between the U.S. and the USSR.

Watergate Scandal

A political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration.

War Powers Act

A law passed in 1973 aiming to limit the President's ability to wage war without congressional approval.

Phyllis Schlafly

A conservative activist known for her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment.

Roe v. Wade

A landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States.

OPEC Oil Crisis

An economic crisis that resulted from OPEC's oil embargo against the United States in the 1970s.

Gerald Ford

The 38th President of the United States who succeeded Nixon after his resignation.

Bakke v. University of California

A Supreme Court case that upheld affirmative action while allowing the use of race in college admissions.

Jimmy Carter

The 39th President of the United States known for his emphasis on human rights and the Camp David Accords.

Camp David Accords

A peace treaty brokered by President Carter between Egypt and Israel in 1978.

American Hostages in Iran

A crisis in which 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage in Iran for 444 days.

Ronald Reagan

The 40th President of the United States, known for his economic policies known as Reaganomics.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, instrumental in ending the Cold War.